Labour has unveiled “breakthrough” plans to roll out fully-funded breakfast clubs for every primary school in England, in a move that could cost the party as much as £186m each year if Sir Keir Starmer is elected to No 10.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who will announce the plans at the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, will argue that the scheme would drive up education standards across the country and give “mams and dads choices”.
“Labour will build a modern childcare system. One that supports families from the end of parental leave through to the end of primary school,” she is expected to say. “We need a fresh vision of that education. One that looks to the future, not the past.
As the first step on that road, we will introduce breakfast clubs for every primary school child in England, driving up standards in maths, reading, and writing, and giving mams and dads choices.”
In England, all children are currently entitled to free school meals from reception to year two, but beyond that, only children whose parents earn less than £7,400 a year are eligible.
It means primary school children could be in line for an extra four years of free breakfasts under Labour’s plans, though the party has yet to make any announcement on free school lunches and dinners.
Charities welcomed the move, with the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) saying the introduction of universal breakfast clubs in primary schools “would be a breakthrough kids and parents need – boosting children’s learning and well-being and helping parents combine family life”.
Almost 23 per cent of all pupils in England, or around 1.9m students, qualified for free school meals last year.
A recent report by the CPAG showed that a further 800,000 children living in poverty in England still do not qualify for the meals – equivalent to one in three school-age children living under the poverty line.
Magic Breakfast, which provides breakfast clubs in more than 1,000 schools across England and Scotland, said it was “delighted” at the announcement and hoped the offer would be extended to include secondary school children.
Dr Lindsey MacDonald, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, told i: “We’re very much celebrating the news that breakfast is going to play a key role in children’s education and Labour’s plans going forward.
“They key thing is moving from headline to policy… There’s always implementation, which is something we’ll be watching. But is it a realistic promise? Absolutely.”
Ms Phillipson said Labour would fund the introduction of universal breakfast clubs by restoring the top rate of income tax to 45p, which it claims would free up an extra £6bn between now and 2026-27.
Labour has already vowed to use part of the money to fund an overhaul of the NHS, including doubling the number of district nurses each year and creating 10,000 extra nursing and midwifery places.
The National School Breakfast Programme, which provided breakfast for disadvantaged pupils in reception to year two in 2,450 schools between 2018 and 2021, cost the Government around £35m. The Department for Education announced earlier this year it would spend £24m on a two-year extension of the project.
It means Labour’s pledge to roll out free breakfast for children in all year groups across England’s 16,800 primary schools could cost the party around £186m each year.
Dr MacDonald said the project would prove “hugely cost-effective” and boost the economy in the long-run.
“If we compare it to other policy proposals, breakfast is such a high return on investment. It unlocks learning and enables [greater] earning for families and carers,” she said.
Labour’s announcement comes as Kit Malthouse, the newly-appointed Education Secretary, faces growing calls to extend free school meals during the cost of living crisis amid warnings that children in England are already going hungry.
Wales began to offer universal free school meals to young school children earlier this month as part of a phased roll out to all primary school children by 2024, while Scotland has also stepped up efforts.